


Sun and Sea

by seraphic_gate



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: AU, M/M, mermikleo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-26 16:04:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15666582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphic_gate/pseuds/seraphic_gate
Summary: While on a survey mission, Sorey finds himself stranded alone on a tropical island.  Having taken to long walks on the beach as a way of entertaining himself, he stumbles upon a beached merfolk—opalescent beauty, Mikleo.





	1. Chapter 1

Day six past the date of their rendezvous, and still no sight of any boat. Sorey wondered if he should start scratching marks for the days that passed into a rock like castaways did in stories.

He wasn’t as bothered as he figured he should be. The island was plentiful with fruit and fish, even a bit of wild game for variety. His tent was spacious enough for a bed and a writing desk. He had a crate of his reference books and plenty to write with. In a way, he was living like nobility out here.

It was a beautiful island, too. The sky and the sea met in a kaleidoscope of shimmering blue. The beach sand was a color color under the sun, and fine enough to walk on barefoot. The ancients couldn’t have picked a better location to venerate the gods of old, and when he wasn’t picking apart the clues they left behind, he was walking on this beach, lost in his own thoughts.

It was on one of these walks, at midday, barefoot and wearing his tattered clothes with cuffs rolled up, he spotted something glittering on the shore under the morning sun. At first he thought he’d spotted an enormous seashell, the way it was sparking, and got excited to add it to his collection. But he soon saw that it was too big, it had to be an animal.

He broke into a run, thinking some creature like a dolphin or a seal had beached itself there. Although he hunted for food when he needed to, he preferred to help animals if he could. As he closed the distance, he could make out pure white scales glittering in the sun. Some kind of fish? 

Well, some kind, maybe. Spayed out on the sand were pale limbs and strands of silver hair, connected to a body that ended in a fish’s tail instead of legs. It took his brain a moment to process what his eyes were seeing.

“A mermaid?” He said out loud. Being alone on this island, he didn’t speak very much. Remembering the sound of his own voice helped to ground him in reality.

He knelt and turned the person—it seemed like a person, at least—over, to check for wounds. It was his first instinct. “A mer… boy?” 

He (if it was indeed a He) was an ethereal thing, with skin like an alabaster statue and hair wisping around his face like spun glass. He wore a necklace and bracelets made of shiny gold. Even without the tail, he’d have been mistaken for something out of a bedtime story.

Sorey couldn’t let his mind wander to why and how this could be just yet. Whoever or whatever this merboy was, he was unconscious. A finger to his neck found a pulse. Lowering his ear to the boy’s parted lips, he could feel the slightest breath. 

He found the source of the trouble right away. A jellyfish had wrapped itself around the merboy’s fin. He wasn’t as well read on aquatic life as he was on history, but he did know that some jellyfish had a paralyzing sting that could subdue predators.

Careful to use a stick and avoid being stung himself, he pulled the jellyfish away a safe distance. It crackled and spit a spark of lightning out, unlike anything he’d seen before. Of course, there was a merboy laying on the sand in front of him, so running into a jellyfish of legend wasn’t too much of a stretch at this point. It retreated into the water.

He filed through the information he kept in his mind, trying to remember anything about that lightning jellyfish. Up until just a few minutes ago, he had considered it a fairy tale, probably an exaggeration of the effects of a real jellyfish, with some electric eel mixed up in the retelling of it.

There was a fruit. Yeah, a fruit that supposedly contained in it the power of the earth. Ancients ate it to fight off the effects of lightning paralysis. He’d seen one not too long ago, and hadn’t thought much of it. The taste of it was terrible, so the only note he’d made on the subject was “not a food.”

But, if these things were any indication, he should put more stock in the wisdom of the ancients.

—-

Mikleo coughed as he came to, but soon found he had no control over his body. His eyes hung half open. He was unable to move his arms or the end of his tail, nothing. To make things worse, he couldn’t feel anything either, except for the difference in temperature as the waves splashed over his tail. There was no way to tell if he was injured or how badly if so.

He’d never been so terrified and unable to scream. All he could do was lie there and look up at the sky.

He heard the sound that humans make when they walk through sand with their heavy feet. Squish squash. He felt his heart jump in panic, but it only send pins and needles running through his body. He couldn’t move.

“Ah!” He heard the human’s voice, and the squish squash sound sped up. 

A brunet young man hung his head into his his field of vision, blurry in the bright sun. He threw himself down on his knees beside Mikleo, along with bottles and tools plopping into the sand around him.

“You’re awake! Just hold still.”

_As if I could do anything else._

The human boy blinked and turned his head left and right, searching for the source of the voice.

So he had some resonance after all, but that would only allow Mikleo to talk to him. It didn’t mean he wasn’t about to capture him in a net and take him away to be entertainment in a tank for the rest of his short life, or that he wouldn’t just kill and taxidermy him for show. 

He felt the human’s arm slide under his back and lift him up. He was grateful at least that he was no longer staring straight at the sun, and could see the condition of his body and his proximity to the ocean.

If he could just gain control over his tail, he could push himself far enough to get free. But if he couldn’t swim, that would just end with him being beached again.

“This tastes bad, but just get it down, okay?”

Mikleo wasn’t sure if he could comply, even if he trusted whatever the strange young man was pouring into his mouth.

It was repulsive. He gagged, but the boy held his head at an angle and rubbed his throat until the liquid slid down without choking him.

There was something about the gentle way he held him, and the touch against his neck. His hands were big and rough, but their touch was just soft enough to send a shiver through him.

A shiver, and then he could feel again.

_What did you feed me?_

“Uh—“ 

He locked eyes with the human. He had a clean face, despite an uneven tan and unkempt hair. His eyes were green. 

_Yes, it’s me. Do you hear a lot of voices in your head, human?_

The boy smiled at him, so happy that it was disarming. “Hi, I’m Sorey. I just fed you some earth fruit, it’s supposed to counteract that jellyfish’s sting.”

_Aptly named, it tastes like mud._

He smiled again, apologetic this time. “Sorry about that, but you should try to have more. Would you like some water to help it down?”

_Yes, please._

Sorey lifted his canteen to Mikleo’s lips, and he tasted what was indeed a rare treat for him—fresh water, free of salt. It was sweet and pure, cold in his tongue. 

He had seemed to gain control a bit of his motor functions as he drank the water at his own pace. He tried to move his arms, and the fingers twitched this time.

_More dirt fruit._

“It’s earth fruit,” Sorey laughed. “The earth element it’s named for is what counteracts the paralysis.”

Mikleo drank as much of the fruit’s juice as he could tolerate, then water again, as Sorey offered. After a few minutes of this, he was able to hold his head up on his own, and flick his tail a bit.

“You’re really a merfolk,” Sorey said, eyes wide at the sight of his tail moving. “I’m sorry, what’s your name? I forgot to ask.”

“Mikleo,” he managed to say.

“Ah! So you can talk normally!”

_Some words, yes. But we don’t have a spoken language like you humans, and I don’t know much of your tongue. We can understand each other only when I use telepathy like this._

“I see.” He took a long, drawn-out moment to consider the implications of that. “Mikleo,” he repeated. “What an interesting name, I like it.”

No one of Mikleo’s kind had ever mulled over his spoken name for so long, it was embarrassing. _No one asked if you liked it._

“Do merfolk really sing like in the legends? If they do, then how do you pass on your songs without spoken language? n you sing underwater? Do your vocal cords have a different range than humans? What else do you use your voices for in your culture?”

Mikleo tried to say one thing that he had picked up from humans, which was “shut up.” But, it sounded more like _shat ap_ when he said it.

Sorey laughed at that. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m an anthropological archeologist, and I get really excited whenever I meet someone from a different culture that I’ve never experienced.” His eyes glittered, full of questions, but he held back. “Can I do anything to make you more comfortable?”

_Can you pull me closer to the water? I’ve been under the sun for too long and I feel dry._

It was true, but the main reason for this request was to get him closer to his route of escape. The moment he could swim…

“Of course!” Sorey scrambled to scoop his arms through the sand underneath him. He lifted him with such little effort, it was impressive. “I should have thought of it, of course you must not be very comfortable out of the water.”

_Why are you here on his island?_

He could feel Sorey sigh, his whole chest expanding and letting go, warm against Mikleo’s body as he carried him curled up in his arms. He walked out into the water, until he was waist deep in it, and held him there.

The sun had just touched the horizon. Blue faded into pink and purple. 

“I came here to survey the ancient ruins,” he said. “It’s been a dream of mine to come to this island and learn everything I can about the ancients from what they left behind. But, my boat was supposed to return to take me home again almost a week ago. Until someone comes to look for me, I’m stranded here.”

Mikleo had not considered that situation at all. He had been afraid of more humans in wait, some that would not be as kind as this one. But, Sorey was deserted here, unsure when or if he’d ever see his home again.

 _Do you have food and water?_ he asked, suddenly overcome with a duty to help someone who had helped him, so far without asking for anything in return. _How long can you survive here?_

“I’ll be fine. It’s a beautiful island. The ancients lived here once after all, so I’m sure I’ll get by.”

 _I’ll come back when I’m well again,_ Mikleo said, before thinking better of it. _I’ll bring you tools or food, if I can._

“You don’t need to repay me or anything like that,” he said. “I’m fine, really. But, if I could ask anything of you, all I’d want is to hear more about you, and your people.” He smiled again, bright as the sun. “I’m really happy that I got to meet you, Mikleo, and it would make me so happy to know that I might see you again someday.”

He held his breath. It was forbidden to meet with a human like that, but then, he wouldn’t be out in this part of the ocean at all if he was worried about taboos. 

_I’ll come back tomorrow._

“I would really like that. I’ll wait by the shore for you.”

By this point, Mikleo felt that he could swim again, but wasn’t so desperate to leave Sorey’s arms as he thought he would be. He pulled himself away. Sorey held him by the arm until he was sure that he could swim in his own, then let go, asking for nothing else.

Mikleo smiled and flicked his tail. _To us, that is gesture means both hello and goodbye._. 

“Kind of like this,” Sorey said, and waved his hand.

Mikleo imitated the gesture. 

_Tomorrow._


	2. Home Away From Home

The ordeal had left him tired, so Mikleo found a shady spot under an outcropping of rock to rest. He preferred the sunny spots, but they wouldn’t be safe. If the electric jellyfish was real, then there could be any sort of creature of legend around these parts hungry for merfolk.

Even the shady spots near the sea floor were warm around the island. He drifted off to sleep with his tail nestled around him. 

When he woke, it was still night. Early morning, if he had to guess. The water was so clear that the light of the moon and stars filtered through. Even still, it would be difficult to search for his staff until daylight came.

He tried to sleep longer, but did little more than toss around. Too much in his head.

Humans slept during the night. They couldn’t see very well in dark, after all. So, he thought, if he wanted to see what Sorey was really up to, it would be best to observe him then.

He made his way through dimly lit waters to the edge of the island. It didn’t take too long to find Sorey’s camp. He’d left a trap for fish out in the water. Pretty smart, he had to say. There was already a yummy-looking silver fish trapped in it, and Mikleo hadn’t eaten in a while. But that could wait.

He broke the surface of the water slowly to as not to make any noise. Pointless, he realized, as he felt the soft tap of raindrops against his head and heard the patter of it all around him. 

Fresh water was his favorite, but there wasn’t any time to collect it in a shell and have a nice drink. It would be dawn soon.

The clouds were sparse, just a sprinkle of rain. He could see up the shore to Sorey’s camp. It was as close to the water’s edge as it could be without any threat of being swallowed at high tide. 

His shelter looked at if it were made of the sails that humans used to catch the wind, all folded up to keep him dry. Despite the rain, one flap was open. He tried to make out the human sleeping inside, but saw only the orange light of a fire burning somewhere within.

He wondered how humans had captured fire, and how they kept it from burning their dry boats and domiciles. 

Going up on land wasn’t too smart for a merman. He wouldn’t suffer from drying out or anything, but the lack of mobility he had out of water was a problem.

He couldn’t go up and get a better look.

Nevertheless, it seemed the human’s story checked out. He was here alone, no boat that Mikleo could find. That was all he needed to know for the time being.

The sun began to rise behind him, and Mikleo thought he should make himself scarce until he was ready to approach Sorey again.

—-

Sorey never had trouble sleeping on the island since survival in the wild took a lot out of him on the daily. He only woke if his stomach was growling or when the sun got really bright.

He had a wind up clock in his tent that helped to keep some semblance of time. It was about 8 am by that clock before the sun was bright enough to rouse him, which was much later than usual.

He groaned and sat up. What was he doing?

Oh yeah, there was a _merman_.

Sorey rubbed his eyes and went over his recent encounter. It seemed like it could have all been a weird dream, but the memory was fresh and vivid.

He stood and stretched. “If it was real, he’ll come back today!”

The morning routine began. He ate a few pieces of fruit and drank some water. Then he got out of his bed clothes. It was important to him that those stayed clean and out of the sand, since they might have to last. 

Outside he had a large basin where he normally washed up. It had filled with clean rain water overnight. Since he was alone in this island he never bothered to draw the curtain, but now he did. There could be eyes watching him from out in that ocean, if the events of the day before hadn’t been his mind’s fabrications.

Next, clothes on, and it was time to plan the day.

He needed to stay by the shore to watch for Mikleo, so today would be a good day to work on menial tasks like washing his clothes, carving some arrowheads, and working on the coconut rope he was making. There was plenty to do here at his camp.

—-

Time seemed to move more slowly because he was waiting. It was almost midday when he began wondering if Mikleo had been real, or just a mirage. 

_Sorey?_

He jumped at the voice. It was still as abrupt and clear as it had been the first time.

He looked out to the ocean, shielding his eyes from the sun, just in time to see Mikleo’s head bob up out of the water.

“Mikleo!” He shouted and began running to the water’s edge. 

Mikleo met him halfway, sliding up the shore on a wave. His tail was so strong, Sorey thought, to push him along like that. 

_Are you well?_

Sorey knelt in the wet sand so that he and Mikleo could be eye to eye. The waves lapped at his knees as he committed everything about Mikleo to memory. He was real, and his eyes were a beautiful color of violet.

“I should be asking you that.”

_I slept for a while._

“Good. Me too.”

Mikleo propped himself on his elbows, giving no mind at all to the sea water. _So, can you swim?_

“I can,” Sorey said. “Pretty good at it, too. I mean, for a human.”

Mikleo tilted his head and examined him. _Your body does seem quite strong._

He rubbed the back of his head and averted his eyes from Mikleo’s gaze. “Why do you ask?”

_I lost something. It’s too dangerous to look for it by myself._

“I don’t know how much I can help. I can only stay under for a minute or so, and that’s considered good for humans.”

_Just hold a weapon for me, stay near so I can call you for help._

“Hmm.” Sorey was wary of swimming too far from the shore. Even if he could swim, he wouldn’t be able to stay afloat indefinitely.

“I have an idea.”

—-

Sorey hadn’t attempted building a raft before because there really wasn’t much of anywhere to go. A light craft couldn’t get him back to civilization, after all, and there were no other islands visible on the horizon. 

It if it helped him keep up with Mikleo, he knew that he had the supplies. He’d been making rope for days now, as well as collecting proper lumber whenever he came across it in the jungle. He just needed to trim some of the rough edges off and lash it all together.

Mikleo laid on his belly in the sand letting the water lap at his tail, watching Sorey work.

“This could take hours,” Sorey said.

_It’s fine. I can’t do very much I without my staff, anyway._

“A staff?” He pulled tight at the rope. Coconut rope was so rough, it could tear the skin apart if he wasn’t wearing a thick pair of gloves. 

_For merfolk, it protects us in the open sea. I use is for light, to move the water, and as a weapon_.

“It’s some kind of underwater magic?”

_Yes._

“Cool.”

Mikleo seemed fascinated with everything that he was doing. Sorey figured he would be, too, if he were watching a merman work.

_I am hungry, though._

“Oh yeah? What do you like to eat?”

_Fish, crab, kelp, some kinds of sea grass._

“I see. Well, I have some fruit. I could go get it if you could eat that.”

_There was a fish in your trap. May I have it?_

“Sure, have at it.”

A flick of his tail in the afternoon sun and he was gone. Sorey kept working. Mere minutes later, Mikleo was back with a fish in his hands. 

Sorey stopped working for a moment to watch how he ate it. He held it in his hands still wriggling and not into it with a pair of sharp incisors. 

“I don’t know why I’m surprised,” he laughed. The display was a little sickening but strangely cute at the same time. “It’s not like you can cook it down there where you’re from.”

_That’s when you hold your meat over fire._

“Yeah.”

_I saw a sailor doing it once. It certainly did smell good, but I can’t imagine the taste._

“I’ll introduce you to human tastes slowly. We’ll start with salt and pepper.”

_Bleh. Don’t need more salt._

Sorey laughed at his tone as he went back to work. He wondered what it must be like to have only known salt water. “This might be stupid to ask, but do you drink water?”

_Yes. I drink from the ocean, but I like fresh better._

“If that’s the case, help yourself.”

Sorey tossed him one of his canteens. Fresh water was plentiful enough, especially after last night’s rain.

Mikleo took the bottle and uncorked it. Since he’d eaten the fish with just messy abandon, it was a surprise to see him sip from the canteen delicately, like a noble lady drinking tea.

_It’s good. Thank you._

“You’re welcome, any time.” 

—

They talked as Sorey worked throughout the evening. Mikleo wasn’t too keen on sharing too much about himself, so Sorey did most of the talking. It was interesting enough just to hear Mikleo’s completely alien perspective.

When the sun was setting, Mikleo frowned. _It will have to wait until tomorrow._

“Yeah, sorry. But it’s almost done. Just needs an oar. I’ll work on it tonight.”

Mikleo sighed. His disappointment was clear.

“Sorry that I couldn’t do it faster.”

_No, don’t be. I’m just worried about sleeping alone again._

“I know you don’t want to tell me, but you’re pretty far from home yourself, aren’t you?”

_Yes. There’s danger, as long as I’m without my staff. Those jellies are just one kind of the dangerous creatures that dwell here._

Sorey leaned back against his finished work. It was currently propped up against a tree. It must be unsafe, if Mikleo, as distrusting as he was, was willing to ask for his help. To stay here all day with him. “I have a bath tub.”

_“I’m afraid that won’t be sufficient._

Sorey figured it wouldn’t be. He thought harder. “Ah, I know something!” He pushed himself out of his leaning stance and looked up the hill behind his camp. “There’s this cavern,” he said. “Not too far here, the mouth is just over that ridge. There’s salt water in it and some fish too, so I figured maybe it connects back to the ocean.”

_I haven’t found any underwater caves yet, but I haven’t been able to search for very long, either._

“Hmm. I could take you there if you want.”

Mikleo looked at him silently for a moment, sizing him up with those mesmerizing eyes that he had.

_Okay._

—- 

Mikleo suffered the indignity of being carried once again. He would have apologized for the trouble, but Sorey carried him as if he weighed nothing more than a small fish. 

Humans must all be strong from practice, he thought, since everything felt heavier up here.

There was no fear of being dropped, but there was fear of going _up_. Sea level was as high as he had ever been and getting even a few feet higher than that was enough to make him squeeze Sorey’s neck for dear life.

Sorey had more of a problem with balance than weight, and began to falter as he climbed up a steep bit of path. Mikleo shouted “Stop! Stop! Stop!” in his real voice, since it was one of the only things he knew how to say. This startled Sorey more than sort of falling did, and he missed a step.

_Please be careful!_

“Sorry! I’m doing my best!”

—-

The walk was short, and only took some time because it was spent scaling a rocky incline with both of his hands busy holding up Mikleo.

Mikleo’s tail didn’t feel like a fish. He was warm-blooded, and didn’t feel slimy or even wet after a while.

The location he’d thought of was inside a cave, the entrance of which was not far from his camp. It’s why he’d chosen the spot, so that he could find shelter quickly in the case of a bad storm. 

“Here we go,” he said. “Almost there now.”

Mikleo turned his head to see what laid inside the cave. It was plain rock as far as one could see from the entrance, but as they went farther in, there were stairs carved by ancient hands.

The stairs wound down and around, back to sea level. At the bottom of the spiral stair was a pool of water rimmed with cut stone.

“Now,” Sorey groaned. Mikleo wasn’t heavy, but carrying him all that way had been an ordeal. He lowered him carefully to the water’s edge.

Mikleo sat up on the rim of the pool, dipping his tail in to experiment. _There’s an opening at the bottom._

“Yeah, I was curious about that.”

Eager to take a break, Sorey kicked off his shoes and sat beside Mikleo, letting his feet dangle into the water. 

Mikleo slid carefully from the edge and down into the pool. He swam a circle around the pool before his head broke the water again. 

_This is ancient._

“Yes, it’s part of the ruins that I came here to survey.”

_There is sea moss and algae covering up the bottom, but I think it was well maintained at one time._

“What do you think it’s function was?”

Mikleo looked around himself. _I haven’t figured that out yet, but I bet that opening goes out to the ocean. Or at least, it used to._

“Used to?”

_You said you could swim._

“I can.”

_Come on, then._

Sorey lifted himself off the pool and sank into it. “I only have a minute or so,” he said, and took a deep breath.

Mikleo didn’t waste any time. He disappeared into the tunnel at the bottom.

It was a man made work all the way down. The light was dim, filtered through the ceiling far above the pool. He couldn’t make out any of the fine details, but there were arches carved from stone.

He caught up to Mikleo, who had stopped short at a blockage. A net of seaweed and barnacles that prevented him getting through. He began to pull at them, but it was going to take some time. 

_Let’s go back._

Sorey gave a thumbs up and swam back the way he had come. He wasn’t yet to the limit of his ability, but his lungs were already glad to breathe air again.

Mikleo lifted his head above the water beside him where he tread.

_It does lead out, I can sense it._

“Good! I’ve got some tools, we can clear the obstruction.”

_Tomorrow._

“Huh?” He shook water out of his eyes and looked at Mikleo. “I figured you’d want a way out, or you wouldn’t feel safe to stay.”

_You are exhausted._

He must have noticed how hard he was breathing. “It’s been a long day, true.”

He lifted himself to the edge of the pool and sat down again to catch his breath. 

_I can sleep here._

Sorey pouted. “It doesn’t seem very hospitable. How do you usually sleep?”

_In our homes, we have nests made of kelp. But I’m fine, as long as it’s warm._

“Hm, well if you say so.” Sorey smiled. “I can sleep here, too.”

_No, you can’t._

“Sure I can!”

_I saw your tent, it had a soft bed and blankets._

“Yeah, but I don’t _need_ those things.” Sorey considered for a moment. “Oh. I bet you’d feel better if I left you alone, huh?”

_No, that isn’t it._

Sorey wondered how much control over his telepathic voice Mikleo had, since he sounded almost flustered just then.

_Tomorrow may be strenuous and I want you to be as rested as possible._

“Ah, okay.” Sorey sighed. “Sorry. It’s just that I can hardly believe you’re real. I don’t want to leave you for even a minute.”

_Is that because of what I am?_

“It’s mostly that,” Sorey said, “but to be honest, I was beginning to think I’d never see another person again, with legs or otherwise.”

 

_I’m anxious to see you leave in my own way, since I’ll have no one to carry me back. So don’t trip and die on your way back, please._

Sorey laughed. “You’re kind of mean, huh?”

—-

By the time he left the cave, the sun had set and the moon was shining over the water. The rainy clouds from last night had moved on. The sky was clear and the ocean was calm.

Of all the places in this world to be stranded, he could not ask for anywhere more beautiful.

He hadn’t eaten much and had given his fish to Mikleo, so it was a dinner of more fruit for him before he went to bed. 

Despite the excitement of the day to come, he fell  
asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.


End file.
